March 19, 2009

Green Collar work

As I understand it, Green Jobs is the big thing.  That leads us to quite a few questions and exposing some myths:

  • Myth: Everyone understands what a green job is.
    Reality: No standard definition of a green job exists.
  • Myth: Creating green jobs will boost productive employment.
    Reality: Green jobs estimates include huge numbers of clerical, bureaucratic, and administrative positions that do not produce goods and services for consumption.
  • Myth: Green jobs forecasts are reliable.
    Reality: The green jobs studies made estimates using poor economic models based on dubious assumptions.
  • Myth: Green jobs promote employment growth.
    Reality: By promoting more jobs instead of more productivity, the green jobs described in the literature encourage low-paying jobs in less desirable conditions. Economic growth cannot be ordered by Congress or by the United Nations. Government interference - such as restricting successful technologies in favor of speculative technologies favored by special interests - will generate stagnation.
  • Myth: The world economy can be remade by reducing trade and relying on local production and reduced consumption without dramatically decreasing our standard of living.
    Reality: History shows that nations cannot produce everything their citizens need or desire. People and firms have talents that allow specialization that make goods and services ever more efficient and lower-cost, thereby enriching society.
  • Myth: Government mandates are a substitute for free markets.
    Reality: Companies react more swiftly and efficiently to the demands of their customers and markets, than to cumbersome government mandates.
  • Myth: Imposing technological progress by regulation is desirable.
    Reality: Some technologies preferred by the green jobs studies are not capable of efficiently reaching the scale necessary to meet today’s demands and could be counterproductive to environmental quality.

  • 4 comments:

    flyingvan said...

    There will be two reactions to your post.
    1) Well, Duh!
    2) You obviously haven't had extensive college indoctrination so have no idea what you're talking about. Corporations are the devil.

    Tina said...

    My green idea is to have 4 chickens. I can trade eggs with neighbors for veggies, and the poops is great fertilizer :)

    I have to convince the neighbors first though.

    flyingvan said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Stella by Starlight said...

    OK, we may not always agree, but this is absolutely true: History shows that nations cannot produce everything their citizens need or desire. Excellent point!

    Best to you and yours, Lee.